* * *

  Sarah felt around her in the dark for the covers. Why was the room so cold? Hadn’t Pegasus shifted the temperature up a couple of degrees for her?

  She felt the edge of the bed much closer than she expected and moved towards the center, feeling around so she wouldn’t disturb Pegasus. She found the other edge of the bed instead.

  Startled, she sat up. Wide eyes fought against the darkness. There was no neon hue in sight.

  She found the light switch on the wall behind her bed. A deep breath left her. This wasn’t Pegasus’ room. Wasn’t her room either. The white tiles were more than familiar though.

  She felt along her ribs, searching for a spot of pain. Amazingly, there was none.

  Present, past, future?

  Which world would have her in this makeshift hospital room and not have her injured from that fall?

  She rose tentatively from the bed, but her muscles seemed fine. Bare feet protested against the cold floor. An unfamiliar scar on her leg, still red and angry, was the only anomaly she could find. The door opened as she was searching under the bed for her flip flops.

  “What’re you doing down there?” Robyn asked.

  Sarah grabbed the sandals that looked like Robyn’s, smacking their wooden heels together as she stood up. “I kicked these under the bed by accident.”

  Robyn was wearing a sweatshirt she hated, hands stuffed all the way into its very large pockets. Sarah looked away from the slight bulge that resembled the muzzle of a gun.

  Holding her smile as best she could, Sarah offered her the sandal she had in her left hand, directing it clearly towards Robyn’s right hand. Robyn, after a moment’s hesitation, reached out with her left hand instead.

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  The outline of a muzzle became clearer.

  No! Not again!

  Sarah smacked Robyn’s left hand away with the wooden heel of one sandal, bringing the other heel down as Robyn pulled out her gun.

  Surprise still on her side, Sarah grabbed Robyn’s gun hand, twirling them both in place to evade Robyn’s left-handed punch.

  They careened towards the wall, and Sarah kicked out at Robyn’s leg. They faltered, and she threw all her weight into slamming Robyn against the tiles as they fell.

  A hollow thud sounded as the back of Robyn’s head hit the floor.

  Sarah snatched the gun from Robyn’s limp hand, tossing it aside. Her own panicked breathing echoed in the room as the crumpled bed sheet was used to tie Robyn’s hands.

  Cursing, she took the gun and ran for the door. Locked. Of course it was.

  She tried a couple of codes at random without luck. Keeping her eyes on Robyn, she went for the com instead.

  Her fingers moved on automatic, and she hadn’t realized she’d called Pegasus until she heard his voice.

  “Help me!” she shouted, letting her underlying panic fully manifest in her voice. Hopefully, he’d given her his number in this world as well. “Something’s wrong with Robyn! She’s saying she has to kill me to save her world.”

  Would he believe her? She should have practiced acting.

  “Sarah?”

  She swallowed back a very real sob. Was she acting or was it all real? She couldn’t tell.

  “Please, help me. I don’t feel too good…” She released the com button.

  Hopefully, any future confusion this Sarah might experience could be attributed to shock.

  She stared down at her shaking hands and the gun held firmly in a white fist.

  This shouldn’t be her real life. Her wrist, marred by a new scratch, was bare of anything else.

  Her own life should still be waiting for her. It had to be.

  The com sounded, startling her. It insisted once more, then stopped.

  Robyn stirred on the floor.

  How long until Pegasus made it here from his room? He’d be running, she was sure of it.

  Back pressed against the wall, Sarah removed the magazine, ejected the last bullet from the chamber, and proceeded to remove the live rounds from the magazine and toss it through the open door into the bathroom.

  When she was on the seventh or eighth round, Robyn’s eyes fluttered open. Her would-be sister’s mouth opened and closed, dry lips smacking together as Robyn’s disoriented gaze met hers.

  Sarah tried not to see her sister.

  It took the girl a moment to notice her restraints, and another moment still before she focused on what Sarah was doing. “How?”

  Sarah tossed the empty magazine into the bathroom as well and wiped at her eyes. “I get it now, why I’m dangerous.”

  The familiar click announced company had arrived a second before the door burst open. Sarah whirled to look, losing her balance when the floor wasn’t where she expected.

  She sat up, breaths unsteady as her hands shook. When she opened her eyes, a soft neon glow washed over the crumpled bed sheets.

  She was awake.